Bedroom Furniture

Where to start with bedroom furniture

Start with the bed. It takes up the largest share of the floor, so settle its size first, whether the room calls for a single, a double, a king or a super king. Then plan your storage: a wardrobe for what hangs, a chest of drawers for what folds, and a bedside table to keep a lamp, a book and your glasses within reach.

Measure the room with doors and drawers open as well as closed, and leave space to walk round the bed. Measure doorways and stairs too, and compare them with the dimensions on the listing before you order.

Choosing a bed frame for your bedroom

We stock upholstered bed frames in velvet and other fabrics, and a padded headboard is the comfortable choice if you like to sit up and read. Some of our bed frames are made in oak, which warms up a plain scheme. A few are metal, which keeps the outline light in a smaller space.

Think about headboard height next. A tall headboard suits a high wall and gives you more to lean against, while a lower one sits more easily under a window. If the base has sprung slats, it will give a little under the mattress for a slightly softer feel.

Ottoman beds for storage under the mattress

An ottoman bed lifts up to reveal storage in its base, a handy home for spare bedding, suitcases and anything bulky. In a small bedroom it can do the job of a chest of drawers and leave more floor clear. We stock ottoman beds in a choice of colours. Some come with a taller headboard.

Look at how the bed lifts before you choose. A gas-lift or hydraulic assisted base takes the strain of the mattress as you raise it, which is worth having if you will open it often. Check, too, that a sloping ceiling or a low shelf will not stop the bed lifting fully.

Bedside tables and chests of drawers

Choose a bedside table by what it needs to hold. A drawer hides chargers and tissues, an open shelf keeps books to hand, and a top roughly level with your mattress is the easiest to reach from bed. Check the depth on the listing so the table does not crowd the walkway, and if you want matching tables, measure both sides of the bed.

For a chest of drawers, decide between height and width. A tall chest gives you more drawers for the floor it takes, while a wide, low chest leaves a broad top for a mirror or a tray. A mix of shallow and deep drawers sorts socks from jumpers. Some bedside tables and chests have marble tops, a cool surface for a glass of water. A few chests have rattan drawer fronts, for a lighter, woven look.

How to choose a wardrobe

The doors come first, because they decide how much clear floor you need. Hinged doors open the whole front at once but need space to swing. Sliding doors need no swing space, which helps where the bed sits close, though you reach only part of the inside at a time. Some of our wardrobes have sliding doors. A few are open designs, with nothing to swing or slide.

Some wardrobes pair hanging space with drawers, which can save you buying a separate chest. A few of our wardrobes have a double hanging rail, which makes good use of the height for children's shorter clothes. Check the wardrobe height against your ceiling, and once it is built, fix it to the wall for safety.

Dressing tables and mattresses

A dressing table gives you a place to sit for make-up and hair, and it works best near a window where the light is natural. Leave room to pull out a chair. Some of ours come with their own mirror; if yours does not, hang a wall mirror above it.

For the bed itself, we stock a few pocket sprung mattresses. Buy the mattress in the same size as the frame, so a king size frame takes a king size mattress, and think about the firmness that suits how you sleep. If you share the bed, the coils in a pocket sprung mattress move independently, so you feel less of your partner turning over.

Matching woods and colours in bedroom furniture

You do not need a matching set. Keep a common thread, such as the wood tone or the metal of the handles, and pieces from different sections will sit happily together. Alongside natural and brown wood tones, we stock black, white and grey finishes, and you will find Scandinavian, modern, rustic, classic and mid-century modern designs. For something softer, some pieces come in cream.

Some pieces have brass knobs, a small detail that is easy to echo elsewhere in the room. Many of the pieces here also suit a hallway or a living room, so a chest or a bedside table can move rooms with you later.